By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, December 4: The German Commissioner for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, Christoph Straesser, has said that the supporters of the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tibet are in constant danger adding that there is lack of true religious freedom on the plateau.
In his interview to Deutsche Welle, he said, “What we perceived was surely only a small part of reality in this region. But given the decades-long discussions held in Germany, there is also the impression that Dalai Lama supporters aren’t allowed to freely practice their religion given that the Dalai Lama is seen in China as someone who is allegedly seeking state autonomy for Tibet.”
Straesse, who was a part of a team from German Human Rights officials that visited Tibet, said Tibetans loyal to the Dalai Lama are in constant danger of having their rights infringed. “This also leads to more arrests and very unpleasant situations for these people,” he said.
He also clarified that such acts are clear violation of the right to religious freedom.
Straesser said he told Chinese leaders that the Tibetan spiritual leader is not someone seeking to divide China but seeks only genuine autonomy.
He criticized the deteriorating human rights situation in China saying, “This year, a series of measures were taken for alleged ‘security and control’ reasons. For example, in the summer of 2015, more than 300 lawyers and their staff working on human and civil rights issues were arrested and 30 of them are still imprisoned.”
